Computerized resource accounting methods and systems, computerized utility management methods and systems, multi-user utility management methods and systems, and energy-consumption-based tracking methods and systems

ABSTRACT

Computerized resource accounting methods and systems, and in particular computerized utility resource management methods and systems, multi-user utility resource management methods and systems, and energy-consumption-based tracking methods and systems are described. In one implementation, a host computer includes a processor, an interface device and a database defined therein for maintaining information pertaining to one or more customers of one or more resources. Resource usage information is received into the host computer pertaining to consumption of one or more of the resources by one or more of the customers at one or more customer site. The resource usage information is processed to provide usage-based, computer-viewable data associated with a respective customer&#39;s consumption of one or more of the resources. In a preferred aspect, each customer is provided with computer access to the computer-viewable data through the interface device, wherein the customer can view the data at a location which is remote from the host computer. Preferably, the computer-viewable data comes in the form of a plurality of different graphical reports, including numerical and tabulated reports, which can be selected by a customer. For customers with multiple sites, the viewable data for the various sites can be viewed remotely and in a plurality of different report formats. In a preferred implementation, utility resource usage information, e.g. electricity, gas, water, etc . . . , is tracked, maintained, and made available to facilitate decision making.

RELATED PATENT DATA

This patent resulted from a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/992,678, filed Dec. 17, 1997, entitled"Computerized Resource Accounting Methods And Systems, ComputerizedUtility Management Methods And Systems, Multi-User Utility ManagementMethods And Systems, And Energy-Consumption-Based Tracking Methods AndSystems", naming Gerry Crooks, Ed Arnhold, John Battista, Ken Boni, DanBowers, Mark Feichtner, Blaine French, Janna Genzberger, David D.Holmes, Larry Kippenhan, Dave Miller, Shawn Nanto, Teri Orr, and EdSchlect as inventors, and which is now U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,773 thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention pertains to computerized resource accounting methods andsystems, and in particular computerized utility resource managementmethods and systems, multi-user utility resource management methods andsystems, and energy-consumption-based tracking methods and systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A resource can be considered as a good, service, and/or commodity whichis purchased by a customer and sold by a resource provider. Oftentimes acustomer will purchase many different types of resources from numerousproviders under differing pricing structures, and desire to account for,or otherwise track its resource consumption. This can be for variousreasons which include a desire to budget for resource purchasing, trackcurrent and past usage and expenditures, and to predict future usage andexpenditures.

One type of resource is a utility resource. Utility resources typicallyinclude electricity, gas (natural or petroleum-based), water, and sewerservice, to name just a few. One type of customer for utility servicesis one which includes a number of different geographically-separatedsites. Such customers typically purchase their resources from multipleunrelated resource providers. Those who have purchase decision makingand/or payment authority for these types of resources typically face avery burdensome task of tracking and maintaining resource consumptionand use information for a customer, and in particular for a customerhaving a number of different sites. In the past, tracking and accountingfor resource consumption has typically been done by each individualcustomer. Needless to say, this is a very time-consuming and expensiveproposition.

The problems faced by a customer having multiple sites are particularlynettlesome in view of the environment of deregulated energy marketsbecause customers now have the ability to look to multiple providerswith differing offering terms for required utility resources.

This invention arose out of concerns associated with improving themanagement tools available for assisting customers in tracking,verifying bill accuracy, maintaining, and/or making resource purchasingdecisions. In particular, this invention arose out of concernsassociated with providing improved management tools for tracking,verifying bill accuracy, maintaining, and/or facilitating decisionmaking pertaining to the acquisition, transport, and consumption ofutility resources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Computerized resource accounting methods and systems, and in particularcomputerized utility resource management methods and systems, multi-userutility resource management methods and systems, andenergy-consumption-based tracking methods and systems are described. Inone implementation, a host computer includes a processor, an interfacedevice and a database defined therein for maintaining informationpertaining to one or more customers of one or more resources. Resourceusage information is received into the host computer pertaining toconsumption of one or more of the resources by one or more of thecustomers at one or more customer site. The resource usage informationis processed to provide usage-based, computer-viewable data. associatedwith a respective customer's consumption of one or more of theresources. In a preferred aspect, each customer is provided withcomputer access to the computer-viewable data through the interfacedevice, wherein the customer can view the data at a location which isremote from the host computer. Preferably, the computer-viewable datacomes in the form of a plurality of different graphical reports,including numerical and tabulated reports, which can be selected by acustomer. For customers with multiple sites, the viewable data for thevarious sites can be viewed remotely and in a plurality of differentreport formats. In a preferred implementation, utility resource usageinformation, e.g. electricity, gas, water, etc . . . , is tracked,maintained, and made available to facilitate decision making.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to the following accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system which is suitable forimplementing the methodologies and systems of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a high level organizational diagram illustrating one aspect ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3 is a high level organizational diagram illustrating one aspect ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a high level organizational diagram illustrating one aspect ofthe present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating certain methodical aspects of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary remote electronic accessdevice which can be utilized in implementing the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a high level organizational diagram illustrating a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view of an interactive computer screen implemented inconnection with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view of another interactive computer screen implemented inconnection with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view of another interactive computer screen implemented inconnection with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view of another interactive computer screen implemented inconnection with a preferred embodiment of the present invention andillustrates a Resource Accounting menu from which a plurality ofgraphical reports can be selected by a customer.

FIG. 12 is a view of the FIG. 11 computer screen showing a drop downmenu feature listing a number of different exemplary graphical reportswhich can be selected by a customer.

FIGS. 13, and 14A-14C are views of one report screen in connection withone aspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 15, 16A-16C are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 17, 18A-18C are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 19, 20A-20B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 21, 22A-22B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 23, 24A-24D are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 25, 26A-26B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 27, 28A-28B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 29, 30A-30D are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 31, 32A-32B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 33, 34A-34B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 35, 36A-36D are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 37, 38A-38B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 39, 40A-40B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 41, 42A-42B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 43, 44A-44B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 45, 46A-46B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIG. 47 is a high level organizational diagram illustrating anotherpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 48 is a view of another interactive computer screen implemented inconnection with the FIG. 47 preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 49 is a view of another interactive computer screen implemented inconnection with the FIG. 47 preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 50 is a view of another interactive computer screen implemented inconnection with the FIG. 47 preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 51, 52A-52B are views of one report screen in connection with oneaspect of the present invention.

FIG. 53 is a view of another interactive computer screen implemented inconnection with the FIG. 47 preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 54 is a view of another interactive computer screen implemented inconnection with another aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Overview

With reference to the various systems and methodologies of the presentinvention, as described below, aspects of the present invention aredescribed in terms of steps, some of which being executed or executableon a computer system. Further the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,656are incorporated by reference herein. Various implementations of theinventive systems and methodologies provide a comprehensive,multi-faceted, multi-user based resource accounting feature which, in apreferred implementation, provides a dynamic, real-time resourcemanagement tool. In accordance with these implementations, a resourcetracking system is provided which is prepared to handle the increasedcomplexities of resource billing, such as electric and gas billing, dueto deregulation. Significant cost savings are achieved through theidentification of opportunities made possible by detailed resourcetracking aspects which will become apparent below. Access to importantpertinent resource consumption and pricing information is immediate andcomprehensive, and permits an individual or company to access, amongother things, resource costs and usage figures to assist in the decisionmaking process. In other aspects of the invention which are discussed inmuch more detail below, one is given the opportunity to compare resourceconsumption among various multiple sites for purposes which includeidentifying sites having desirable and undesirable resource usage orcost characteristics.

In a preferred implementation, a central database is developed andcontains information pertaining to different corporate and/or individualfacilities. Information such as billing history for resource usage,structure information (such as square footage and structurecharacteristics), servicing resource provider and/or utility resourceproviders, and resource account information can be, and preferably isincorporated into the database. Other types of information can beincorporated, as will become apparent below.

Through the normal course of the database development process, averification can be utilized to ensure that all sites are on the mostadvantageous resource rate. Accordingly, comprehensive resourcetracking, analysis, and reporting is made possible through the varioussystems and methodologies of the invention. Billing information, such ascost and usage information can be entered into or received into a hostsystem or computer and normalized daily. The information can benormalized furthermore for variances in degree-days and/or site specificprimary and secondary production units. Through monthly tracking andmonitoring of utility resource cost and consumption, various facilitiesare able to be identified with high and/or abnormal energy or resourceusage. Through timely detection of such usage anomalies, correctiveaction can be undertaken immediately, rather than months after the fact.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, billing informationwhich is received from each resource provider is scrutinized in ifaccordance with a plurality of predefined or pre-determined toleranceparameters. Any information which does not meet with one or more of thetolerance parameters can be flagged for remedial processing. Inaccordance with a preferred aspect of the invention, scrutinization isperformed by the host computer in accordance with a variety ofalgorithmic checks which are implemented in software. The toleranceparameters are preferably calculated through utilization of the billinginformation for each resource provider.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, resource usage-basedinformation is provided and can be accessed by a customer through anexclusive password-protected system. In this way, a flexible andpaperless reporting environment meets the demands of real-timeinformation needs of various customers. In other aspects, customers canremotely view resource usage data, via computer, in a number ofdifferent formats. For example, usage data can be viewed for individualfacilities, all facilities, or in accordance with various definedreporting formats, e.g. BTUs/square feet, facility versus facility,facilities within a region, yearly, monthly or daily aggregate for asingle or a group of facilities. Such various reporting formats arediscussed in much more detail below. In other aspects of the invention,information can be downloaded from the host system, via a computer linkestablished with a remote computer at a customer location. Such permitsa customer to conduct their own analysis at their own location. In apreferred implementation, the download function is accessed through adrop down if menu which permits selection of a time period, servicecodes, and locations. Once a request for downloading information iscomplete, a file is sent containing the bill date, bill identifier, siteidentifier, service code, consumption amount and unit of measurement,dollar amount, tax, and various miscellaneous charges. The informationcan be, and preferably is in a so-called fixed column flat file format.

Although a variety of different computer systems can be used with thepresent invention, an exemplary computer system is shown generally at 20in FIG. 1.

Computer System Overview

Computer system 20 includes a host computer 22 having a processor 24,memory 26, data storage device 28, and an interface device 30. Theexemplary components 24-30 of host computer 22 are operably connectedvia an address/data bus which is not specifically designated. Memory 26can, and preferably does include a volatile memory (e.g. random accessmemory) which is coupled with the data bus for storing information andinstructions for processor 24, and a non-volatile memory (e.g. read onlymemory) coupled with the data bus for storing static information andinstructions for processor 24. Data storage device 28 can comprise amass storage device. Host computer 22 constitutes a hardware platformwhich executes instructions to implement the application program(s)described just below. It will be understood that system 20, as set forthin FIG. 1, is a schematic representation only. Accordingly, the systemas described above and below can be implemented as an integral standalone system as suggested by FIG. 1, or can include separate componentparts which are interconnected and operable for implementing theinvention described below.

Interface device 30 preferably comprises a multi-user network interface(e.g. an Internet interface) which couples computer system 20 to amulti-user system (e.g. the Internet in one embodiment of the presentinvention). Interface 30 is coupled to permit communication with variousapplication programs contained on the hardware platform defined bycomputer system 20.

As mentioned above, and in a preferred implementation of the presentinvention, interface device 30 comprises an Internet interface. TheInternet is a well known connection of world wide computer systems thatoperate using a well known Internet protocol. The Internet is one typeof multi-user computer system. Other Internet applications (e.g. usingspecific protocols) operate on top of the Internet protocol. One suchapplication is the well known world wide web or "www" Internetapplication which operates using the hypertext transfer protocol orhttp. The "www" Internet application is a "demand system" in which auser requests information from a site and the site transfers theinformation back to the user on-line. Also well known is the emailInternet application which operates using the simple mail transportprotocol or smtp. The email Internet application is a "present system"in that an information transfer command originates from a sender siteand information pursuant to that command is presented to the targetemail address. Another Internet application is the file transferInternet application which operates using the file transfer protocolftp. In one embodiment, the present invention utilizes the www, email,and file transfer Internet applications as well as the Internetprotocol. Other embodiments of the present invention can be implementedin other multi-user computer environments. For example, the presentinvention could be implemented with a dedicated multi-user system.

Computer system 20 supports a software configuration which operatesunder control of a conventional operating system. The operating systempermits various application processes to be executed. These include, forexample, a communications application which permits data transfer withvarious remote terminals as will become apparent below. The softwareenvironment further includes a data management, storage, and retrievalapplication that is utilized in connection with data storage device 28.The data management, storage, and retrieval application organizes andstores information which will be described in greater detail below. Thisinformation is organized and stored within the environment of theoperating system on one or more mass storage devices such as datastorage device 28. Other applications conventionally known may beincluded in the software environment comprising computer system 20.

In view of the foregoing computer system description and in accordancewith one aspect of the invention, the reader is referred to FIG. 2.There, an exemplary computer system or host system 20 can be seen tocomprise part of a system which includes a resource provider 32 and acustomer 34. In the context of this document, the term "resourceprovider" will be understood to include a company or other source fromwhich resources in the form of goods, services and/or commoditiesoriginate. In a preferred implementation, such resource provider cancomprise one or more resource providers, e.g. providers of electricity,water, sewage services, natural gas, propane, alternate energy sourcesand/or other related goods or services or processes. Similarly, the term"customer" as used in this document will be understood to include anindividual, company, companies or sites which consume resources from oneor more resource providers. In a preferred implementation, suchcustomers consume one or more utility resources for which it is desiredto account.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, FIG. 5 presents a high level flowdiagram which is or can be implemented with a software programexecutable on computer system 20 of the present invention. Such programwould typically be stored in memory 26. A database is first defined atstep 200 (FIG. 5) in host computer 22. Such database is preferablydefined within a data storage device, such as data storage device 28(FIG. 1). Information associated with at least one customer, such ascustomer 34, is entered and stored at step 210 in the database. Theinformation can include any type of information which is useful inimplementing the present invention. Exemplary information includes thecustomer's name (whether an individual or a company), mailing address,business phone number, primary accounts payable point of contact, emailaddress, general ledger account number, banking information, and/or sitelisting. Additionally, information such as site name, site number, siteaddress, square footage, year built, site open date, and billinghistories can be stored in the database as well. Exemplary billinghistory information can include such things as billing date, past duedate, billing period begin and end dates, types of service, consumption,commodity charges, tax, and various other information as well.

At step 220 (FIG. 5) resource usage information from resource provider32 is received into host computer 22. The resource usage informationpertains to consumption of at least one resource by the customer. Theresource usage information can be introduced into system 20 in anysuitable way. In one embodiment, such information from resource provider32 is received electronically, via a suitable data link with hostcomputer 20, using one or more of the Internet protocols mentionedabove. Alternately, resource usage information can be received inhard-copy form and entered into the host computer as by manual dataentry. Other methods and systems can, of course, be utilized to permitsuch information to be received by host computer 20.

In a preferred implementation, the resource usage information which isreceived into the host computer pertains to a plurality of differentconsumption variables of the resource by the consumer. For example, onesuch consumption variable can be a cost-related consumption variableassociated with the cost of a particular resource consumed by aconsumer. Another consumption variable is a quantity-related consumptionvariable which is related to a quantity of a particular resourceconsumed by a consumer.

Tolerance Parameter Checking

In one aspect of the invention, an audit process is provided at step 240(FIG. 5). The audit process is preferably implemented in a suitablesoftware application which is resident upon the hardware platformdefined by host computer 22. Audit process 240 includes a definitionstep, at step 250, wherein at least one, and preferably morepre-determined tolerance parameters are defined. At step 260, theresource usage information which is received from resource provider 32is checked against the pre-determined tolerance parameter(s) fordetermining whether the information satisfies such parameter(s). If theresource usage information does not satisfy the pre-determined toleranceparameter, then, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, theinformation from the resource provider is flagged for remedialprocessing, either manually or electronically, which includes errorchecking the information.

In one implementation, the pre-determined tolerance parameters aredefined through the utilization of historical billing data for customer34. In particular, when the above-mentioned information regarding thecustomer is stored, at step 210, historical billing data can be enteredand cataloged into the database at that time. Additionally, thehistorical billing data can include currently up-to-date billinginformation from a previous billing cycle. Processor 24 (FIG. 1)preferably processes the historical billing data and defines thetolerance parameters.

Two exemplary categories of tolerance parameters are: (1) overall billtolerance check parameters; and (2) individual line item tolerance checkparameters. Of course, other tolerance parameters are possible. Examplesof overall bill tolerance check parameters include: (a) current chargescannot exceed one and one half times the average bill; (b) bills cannotoverlap with any other system bill with respect to begin and end dates;(c) the bill cannot be duplicated within the system; and, (d) allrequired information must be present on the entered bill. Examples ofindividual line item tolerance check parameters include: (a) the numberof days of service must fall within 20% either way of the accountaverage; (b) service start date must be the day following the priorperiod bill end date; (c) service end date must be one day prior to nextperiod begin date; (d) service consumption and dollars must move in thesame general direction, e.g. an increase in one should be accompanied byan increase in the other; (e) consumption must fall within a 20%difference of prior or next period consumption; and (f) charges mustfall within a 20% difference of prior or next period charges. A bill orbilling information failing any of the above parameters is identifiedfor subsequent remedial processing. As history of a particular customeris accumulated, tolerances can be redefined based upon the actualvariances that exist between months and/or billing periods. Accordingly,the pre-defined tolerance parameters are adjustable by the system foreach customer. In preferred implementations, and ones which arediscussed below, the resource or resources comprise utility resources.Accordingly, the tolerance parameters which are calculated and used toscrutinize the resource usage information can be specifically tailoredto such resources. For example, tolerance parameters can be calculatedto ensure that each utility bill is arithmetically accurate.Additionally, the resource usage information can be used to effect acomparison between a utility tariff rate to determine whether the billwas priced properly.

Remote Access

At step 230, (FIG. 5) the resource usage information, which may or maynot have been audit processed as described above, is processed by thehost computer to provide usage-based, computer-viewable data associatedwith a particular customer's consumption of the resource.

Customer 34 can be subsequently provided with remote electronic accessto the viewable data preferably through the interface device 30 (FIG.1). Remote access is preferably provided through a remote computer, suchas the one shown in FIG. 6, which is linkable with host computer 22through a protocol, such as one suitable for use within anInternet-based system. In particular, and in connection with a preferredimplementation, host computer 22 provides or otherwise defines anInternet website. The various usage information received and processedby host computer 22 from resource provider 32 is provided on theInternet site and can be remotely accessed by the customer. Preferably,access to information contained on host computer 22 ispassword-protected such that only the intended customer can access itsrelevant information. In this way, centralized, computer-accessible,resource accounting methods and systems are provided which are"proactive" in the sense that the customer can, on its own time andterms, access its relevant usage-based information. Further, an auditprocess is provided to scrutinize the resource usage information toensure that the information utilized to generate the computer-viewabledata is within acceptable tolerances levels.

Referring to FIG. 3, an implementation in accordance with another aspectof the invention is set forth generally at 36. In this implementation, aplurality of resource providers 38, 40, 42, and 44 provide resourceusage information to host computer 20 such that the host computer canprocess the information as described immediately above. The resourceproviders need not be related to one another and can comprise separatecompanies. Alternately, the resource usage information provided byresource providers 38-44 can originate from one resource provider andcan constitute a plurality of different resources, e.g. electric power,water, natural gas, sewer services, and the like. Such would be thecase, for example, if one resource provider were to provide all of thepertinent resources which are utilized by a particular consumer. Ofcourse, the above-described tolerance parameters which are effectuatedthrough the audit processor function can be, and preferably areimplemented for the resource usage information which is received fromeach of the resource providers.

Through a remote computer terminal, customer 34 can access host computer20 and receive the processed usage-based information in the form of aplurality of different graphical reports which are selectable by acustomer and described below in greater detail. Preferably, such accessis provided through interface device 30 (FIG. 1) as discussed above.

Again, centralized, computer-accessible, interactive resource managementmethods and systems are provided which are "proactive" in the sense thatthe customer can, on its own time and terms, access its relevantresource usage information. Further, a system is provided which canreceive resource usage input from a number of different resourceproviders. Further still, a system is provided which can tolerance checkthe resource usage information received from each of the resourceproviders to ensure accurate reporting thereof to the customer.Accordingly, very streamlined, efficient, and accurate resourcemanagement and accounting systems and processes are provided by thevarious implementations of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, another implementation in accordance with theinvention is set forth generally at 46. There, it can be seen that aplurality of resource providers 38-44 have access to, or are otherwisecapable of providing resource usage information to computer system 20. Aplurality of customers 48, 50, 52, and 54 preferably have remoteelectronic access to computer system 20 in much the way as was describedabove. It is to be understood that although only four resource providersand four customers are utilized in the illustration, many more of bothare contemplated.

In this example, a database within host system 20 receives and storesinformation associated with each of customers 48-54. Resource usageinformation is received into host computer 20 from resource providers38-44. Such information, for each of both the resource providers and thecustomers, is preferably tolerance checked as described above, to ensurethe accuracy of such information. Such information is further preferablyprocessed into computer-viewable, usage-based data associated with eachcustomer's consumption of the resource. In a preferred embodiment, theresource comprises a utility resource. Preferably a plurality ofdifferent utility resources are managed and tracked by the inventivesystems and methodologies. Such processed information is preferably madeavailable, through remote computer terminal access, to each of thecustomers.

Again, computer-accessible, interactive resource management methods andsystems are provided which are "proactive" in the sense that theconsumer can, on its own time and terms, access its relevant resourceusage information. Further, a system is provided which receives resourceusage information from a number of different resource providers, checksthe resource usage information against one or more tolerance parameters,processes such information and makes it available to the customers viaelectronic link. In this implementation a plurality of differentcustomers are incorporated into the system of the present invention.Accordingly, very streamlined, accurate, and efficient systems andprocesses are provided by the various implementations of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a preferred implementation of the invention is setforth generally at 56. Similar to the above implementation, a computersystem 20 is provided and includes a host computer 22 as describedabove. Information for a plurality of customers 58, 60, and 62 is storedin a database as described above. Each customer can, but need not,comprise a plurality of different sites which may or may not begeographically separated. The customers are customers and consumers ofutility resources provided by a plurality of different utility resourceproviders 64, 66, 68, and 70. Each customer may, however, be a customerof only one utility resource provider. Alternately, each customer may bea customer of more than one utility resource provider. Where a customerhas many different geographically-separated sites, utility resourcessuch as electricity, water, gas, and/or other related utility resourceservices could conceivably be provided by a large number of utilityresource companies or providers. Utility resource usage information isreceived from each utility resource company into host computer 22 asdescribed above in connection with step 220 (FIG. 5). The usageinformation pertains to consumption of utility resources by each site ofeach customer and includes, as mentioned above, cost-related andquantity-related consumption variables. Such information is preferablytolerance checked in accordance with the above-described audit processorto ensure the accuracy thereof. Preferably, tolerance checking isperformed for each of the utility resource providers for each of theirrelevant customers. Such information is preferably subsequentlyprocessed as described and customers 58-62 are provided with remoteelectronic access to computer-viewable data in host computer 20 throughinterface device 30 (FIG. 1) as described above. Such computer-viewabledata is preferably in the form of a plurality of different graphicalreports which can be selected by the customer for viewing on a computerwhich is remote from the host computer.

The inventive methodologies and systems described just above areparticularly useful in the context of utility resource customers havinga number of different, geographically-separated sites (such asnationwide) which are serviced by a plurality of different utilityresource providers.

For example, and with reference to FIG. 7, customer 58 includes sites58a, 58b, and 58c. Although only three exemplary sites are used, it willbe understood that such sites can comprise any number of different siteswhich may or may not be geographically-separated. Similarly, customer 60includes site 60a, 60b, and 60c. Likewise, customer 62 includes site62a, 62b, and 62c. For purposes of example only, assume that eachgeographically-separated site of any of the customers is serviced by adifferent utility resource provider or company. Each utility resourceprovider is able to, through the inventive methodologies and systems,provide usage information for each specific geographically-separatedsite to computer system 20. Such information is received and processedand provided so that each customer, e.g. customers 58, 60, 62, canaccess and view graphical reports, including numerical and tabulatedreports, for each of its sites. In this embodiment, as was brieflymentioned above, the tolerance parameters can be, and preferably aredefined to be utility-specific. This gives the customer access toprocessed, computer-viewable data which includes a desired degree ofutility pricing expertise. Such expertise is comprehensive and vastinsofar as a large number of utility resource providers are incorporatedinto the system for an even larger number of customers. Through thepreferred tolerance parameter checking, errors or anomalies can beeasily detected for correction. In the context of utility providers,customers whose utility usage information is determined to fail one ormore of the tolerance parameters can receive an adjustment from theservicing utility, or alternately, can be placed on a correct rateschedule. Alternatively, and in the event there is no error in the usageinformation, the customer can be advised to modify utility consumptionto qualify for a more favorable price, or, may be advised to seek analternate supplier whose pricing may be more favorable for thecustomer's existing consumption pattern.

As was initially discussed above, the systems and methodologies of thepresent invention are preferably implemented in connection with amulti-user computer environment. A preferred computer environment is theInternet. Accordingly, and with reference to FIGS. 8 through 46, 48-54,various exemplary screen displays are illustrated which can be supportedor provided on a remote computer terminal, such as the one shown in FIG.6, for each customer to utilize in accessing and viewing thecomputer-viewable, usage-based data described just below.

Referring to FIG. 8, a welcome screen 100 is displayed for a websitesupported by the host computer which allows access by a customer tocomputer system 20 via interface device 30 (FIG. 1). A particularcustomer or company can enter its name in field 102, as well as itsunique password in field 104. Accordingly, password protection ensuresthat proper security measures are present and prevents unauthorizedaccess.

Referring to FIG. 9, a screen 106 is presented and includes a number ofdifferent fields for gathering information about the customer and, whereapplicable, each site maintained by a customer. A site set up field 108is provided in which a customer can enter, where appropriate, each ofits individual sites into the system. A site address field is providedat 110. Information which is gathered on each customer can be gatheredthrough a data entry website having a data entry screen such as screen106, through conventional hard-copy form, or through transmitted emailfiles, and the like. Such information is, or can be utilized in buildingand maintaining historical billing data and includes such things ascorporate name, site, billing information, and utility resource accountinformation.

Report Overview

In the explanation which follows, certain aspects of the invention aredescribed in the context of fictional company called "ACIS Suites" whichmaintains a plurality of different, geographically-separated lodgingunits. It is to be understood, however, that inventive systems andmethodologies have application in a wide range of industries, and thatthe present example is for illustrative purposes only.

Referring to FIG. 10, a different site setup screen 112 is shown whichenables a customer to enter even more information into the hostcomputer. Screen 112 can be provided for customers that have a pluralityof different sites for which accounting for one or more resources isdesired. In particular, specific information regarding each of acustomer's sites can be ascertained through this screen. In theillustrated example, a plurality of fields are provided for entry ofinformation and include a production units field 114, a climate zonefield 116, and a secondary units field 118. In the illustrated example,the production units field 114 can be utilized by a customer to enterinformation pertaining to the number of units maintained, the variablemonthly production units, and the date the site was opened. A productionunit can be considered as a fixed daily unit of measurement such as, andin this example, available rooms for a lodging company facility site.The climate zone is used for benchmarking a facility's energy useagainst a national average adjusted for weather. In the climate zonefield 116, a customer can designate a specific climate zone in which asite is located for purposes of comparison to other similarly-locatedsites. A state map based on the site address entered into the system canappear and a customer can click on the county and/or state in which thesite resides. Climate zone assignment information enables reports to begenerated which are discussed in more detail below. Climatic conditionsfor locations have been placed into five categories (i.e. zones 1-5)based upon the number of annual heating degree days and cooling degreedays historically occurring in a given location. Such constitutes butone way of grouping sites in accordance with a predefined groupingvariable. In this example, the predefined grouping variable is climatezone.

Resource Accounting

Referring to FIG. 11, a Resource Accounting screen 120 is provided andwhich enables a plurality of selectable graphical reports to be selectedby a customer. The reports which are selectable by each customer providecomputer-viewable data which can be viewed, in a preferredimplementation, via a remote computer terminal as described above. Areport field 122 is provided and permits a customer to choose between areport type (described in more detail below) and/or an area on which toreport. In the illustrated example, a Resource Cost report is selectedfor a company-wide report. Once a particular report and area areselected via report field 122, the report can be specifically tailoreddepending on the needs of the customer. For example, a field 124 isprovided in which a user can exclude sites based upon user-selectedcriteria or which were not open for a particular reporting period,select from among a number of different resources, i.e., electricity,gas, water, sewer services, and the like, and specify a date rangethrough which such computer-viewable data can be viewed. In theillustrated example, a company-wide report has been selected to view allresources from Jan. 1, 1997, through Oct. 31, 1997. A select site field126 is provided and permits a site-to-site comparison to be made betweentwo different sites of the customer. Examples of this are given below inmore detail. A customer, through utilization of screen 120, can opt toselect a report to view a total company area average, a single site, ora site-to-site comparison. Once pertinent parameters have been set for areport, a user need simply only click on the "Display" feature in field124 to see a display of the relevant computer-viewable data.

Referring to FIG. 12, screen 120 is shown in more detail, and inparticular the number of different reports which can be selected by thecustomer in field 122. A plurality of different reports are shown indrop-down menu fashion, and include Resource Cost 128, Resource Use 130,Energy Cost Index 132, Energy Use Index 134, EUI/ECI Analysis 136, EUIFrequency Overview 138, 24-Month Trend 140, and Production is Report142. By using the drop down menu feature of field 122, a user can selectfrom a variety of different reports which are generated based upon theresource usage information which was previously received into the hostsystem. Each of these reports are discussed below in more detail. It isto be understood that the reports and formats thereof described beloware for illustrative purposes only. Accordingly, other reports andformats could be utilized.

Before a discussion of the individual reports mentioned above, adiscussion of the format of each report as presented in this document isin order. Most, if not all of the computer screens which can bedisplayed on a customer's computer are, for purposes of description,broken into segments in this document. This has been done because ofspacing concerns. In many of the reports, the customer can navigatethrough the individual screen by clicking on the up/down symbols whichare part of the screen. For the most part, each of the report screens isfirst represented in a block-type diagram. The separate segments of thescreen bear their own Figure designation. Each separate segment is thenshown in a subsequent Figure. Such will become evident below.

Resource Cost Report

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14A-14C, an exemplary screen 144 is shown.Separate segments are designated as FIG. 14A, FIG. 14B, and FIG. 14C.Each segmented portion of FIG. 13 corresponds to a portion of a computerscreen which can be viewed and navigated through by a customer. Acustomer can navigate through the computer screen using conventional upand down arrows.

Computer screen 144 constitutes a company-wide, e.g. ACIS Suites,Resource Cost report from the period of Jan. 1, 1997, through Oct. 31,1997. The Resource Cost report shows summed dollar amounts for theprimary service groups such as electricity, gas, water, sewer, solidwaste and/or other fuels. Referring more specifically to FIGS. 14A-14C,typical graphical report formats include a pie chart representation(FIG. 14A), a trend or line graph of resource costs (FIG. 14B), and atabular or chart-based display 14C which gives a tabular allocationcomparison between current and past periods with a percentage changetherebetween. Collectively, the Resource Cost report provides graphical,user-viewable data which allows a customer or a customer's facilitymanager to view a cost representation of its company wide consumption ofresources. The illustrated resources include electric power, naturalgas, water, and sewer services. Through utilization of comparativeanalysis, the facility manager can identify variances in consumptioncosts of one or more particular resources and identify problem areaswhich might need attention.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16A-16C, a screen 146 is shown havingcomponent parts designated as FIGS. 16A, FIG. 16B, and FIG. 16C. Screen146 constitutes a Resource Cost report for a single month which coverscompany-wide consumption costs of resources. In this report format, andas shown in FIG. 16A, a pie chart representation of resource consumptionis shown. FIG. 16B includes a bar graph chart describing the company'sconsumption costs of resources including electricity, natural gas,water, and sewer. FIG. 16C shows a tabular representation of suchresources for the month of August 1997. This report format enables afacilities manager to ascertain, during any given month, whether thereare variances in resource costs which could indicate problem areas. Italso gives the facilities manager the tools to identify the effects ofany conservation measures by being able to observe variances betweenreporting periods.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18A-18C, a screen 148 is provided andconstitutes a report comprising a site-to-site comparison of two ACISSuites sites, e.g. Austin Chili Suites and Denver Mountain Suites.Referring to FIG. 18A, a site-to-site, cost-based resource report isshown in line-graph form and compares the resource costs of both of thesites from a period of Jan. 1, 1997 through Oct. 31, 1997. Throughutilization of this report, a facilities manager can quickly identifycost variances as between separate sites. For example, throughout mostof the reporting period, Denver Mountain Suites consumed, cost-wise,more resources than did Austin Chili Suites. However, in August andthrough the corresponding month of October, the cost somewhat leveledout. This information is, or can be particularly useful to a facilitiesmanager for the purpose of identifying specific reasons as to why avariation in resource cost occurred with the Denver Mountain Suites.Referring to FIG. 18B, a pair of pie charts are shown and describe,respectively, resource costs of Austin Chili Suites and Denver MountainSuites through the relevant reporting period. The pie chart enables thecosts of each of the consumed resources to be separately broken out sothat each can be viewed by the customer or facilities manager. Referringto FIG. 18C, a tabular report is provided and individually describesresource costs from the prior reporting period, the current reportingperiod, as well as giving a percentage change therebetween. Thisspecific information can enable the customer to identify any individualincreases or decreases as between individual resource costs during aparticular reporting period. It also enables a comparison to be madebetween separate sites. For example, Austin Chili Suites' sewerconsumption costs for the current and prior reporting periods increasedaround 2.540%. This might be indicative of a problem which needsattention. Particularly in view of the fact that Denver Mountain Suites'sewer consumption costs decreased by around 108%. By knowing of thisincrease, a customer could then take remedial action to learn more aboutwhy such an increase occurred. The same would hold true for dramaticdecreases in either one or more of the resources.

Resource Use Report

Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20A-20B, a screen 150 is provided and isdivided into two segments, FIG. 20A and FIG. 20B. Screen 150 constitutesa resource usage report which is selectable by a customer and showsconsumption (quantity) amounts for electricity, natural gas, water andsewer. Usage amounts are converted to a common unit of measurement. Gasand other fuels are reported in therms. Water and sewer are reported inthousands of gallons. Typical presentation formats include trending orline graphs of resource use over time, and tabular information comparingcurrent reporting periods to prior reporting periods with an indicationof any percentage change therebetween. Specifically, and with referenceto FIGS. 20A and 20B, a company-wide resource usage report for electricand natural gas (FIG. 20A), and water and sewer (FIG. 20B) is shown. Thedate range for the report can be selected for any month or series ofmonths. In the illustrated example, a date range from January 1997through October 1997 has been selected. The line graph representationsof resource usage can provide a customer with an understanding of itsparticular use of a particular resource through the relevant reportingperiod. By having the individual resources separated out and graphicallydisplayed, the customer is able to identify any trends and/or variancesof interest. The tabular information presented in FIG. 20B describescurrent and prior reporting period usages, together with any percentagechanges therebetween.

Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22A-22B, a screen 152 is provided andconstitutes a company-wide, resource usage report for a single month.FIGS. 22A and 22B comprise separate portions of screen 152 and show abar graph representation of total usage for the month (FIG. 22A), and atabular accounting of usage (FIG. 22B).

Referring to FIG. 23 and 24A-24D, a screen 154 is provided and isdivided into four segments. Such screen constitutes a resource usagereport which permits a site comparison between an area average and aparticular individual site of the customer. In particular, FIG. 24Ashows for the ACIS Suites in a particular area, the average electric andnatural gas usage. FIG. 24B shows the ACIS Suites area average water andsewer usage (uppermost graph), and, for the Sacramento Vineyard Suites,the electric and gas usage (lowermost graph). FIG. 24C shows, for theSacramento Vineyard Suites, specific water and sewer usage; and FIG. 24Ddescribes in tabular form, current and prior reporting period usages asbetween the area average and Sacramento Suites. Additionally, relevantvariances are given as well. The relevant reporting period is fromJanuary 1997 to October 1997. By comparing each of the area averages forthe resources with the particular site (Sacramento Vineyard Suites), thecustomer can ascertain whether usage at a particular site is above orbelow the area average. Usages above average would, in some instances,indicate that there may be a problem. Usages below the area average may,in some instances, indicate the effectiveness with which utilityresource usage takes place.

Energy Cost Index Report

Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26A-26B, a screen 156 is provided andconstitutes an Energy Cost Index (ECI) Report. The ECI Report comprisesthe total energy cost of all fuels used during a 12-month period dividedby the total gross conditioned floor area in square feet. The units ofECI are dollars per square foot per year. Typical presentation formatsof such computer-viewable data include ECI rankings for total companylisting for each location, top 10/bottom 10 location ranking, companyaverage and site-to-site comparisons.

Specifically, reference to FIG. 26A shows a plurality of sites with eachsite's ECI shown in bar graph fashion for current and prior reportingperiods. In the illustrated example, the reporting period is fromSeptember 1996 through August 1997. A customer can, through review ofthe particular graphical representation in FIG. 26A, ascertain whetherdesirable or undesirable increases and/or decreases have taken place ineach site's ECI during the relevant reporting. Referring to FIG. 26B,such information is presented in tabular form for the current and priorperiods, along with any relevant percentage change therebetween.

Referring to FIGS. 27 and 28A-28B, a screen 158 is provided andconstitutes an ECI report for an individual site, e.g. Tucson DesertSuites, for the reporting period September 1996 through August 1997.Referring to FIG. 28A, a bar graph representation of this particularsite's energy cost per square foot is shown on a month-by-month basisfor the prior and current reporting periods. Referring to FIG. 28B, atabular detailing of the energy costs per square foot of this particularsite is given for the prior and current reporting periods, as well as apercentage change therebetween.

Referring to FIGS. 29 and 30A-30D, a screen 160 is provided andconstitutes a ECI report for the top 10 and bottom 10 ACIS Suites sites.For example, and with reference to FIG. 30A, the top 10 sites with thelowest energy cost per square foot are shown. Similarly, FIG. 30B showsthe bottom 10 sites with the highest energy cost per square foot.Through utilization of this report, the customer can identify siteshaving desirable or undesirable energy costs for the purpose ofascertaining, among other things, why such costs are low or highrespectively. Such facilitates decision making on the part of thefacilities manager. Referring to FIGS. 30C and 30D, the top 10 andbottom 10 sites respectively, are shown in tabular graphical form. Theillustrated chart shows the square footage for each facility or sitealong with current and prior ECI indices. In addition, a percentagechange is provided to enable the customer to ascertain desirable orundesirable variances in the ECI.

Energy Use Index Report

Referring to FIGS. 31 and 32A-32B, a screen 162 is provided andconstitutes an Energy Use Index (EUI) Report which can be selected bythe customer. The EUI is a convenient measure of energy use. Inparticular, consumption of each fuel type is converted into BTU's, acommon unit of energy. The total energy use of a building, in BTU's, isdivided by the total gross conditioned floor area, yielding the EUI inkBTU's per square foot per year (1,000 BTU/sf/year). Because the EUIpresents energy use per square foot of building area, it can be used tocompare energy use in buildings of various sizes. Although the EUI is auseful tool, it should be used with an understanding of how climate,activity, and fuel types can influence the EUI value. Typicalpresentation formats include EUI rankings for the total company listingeach location, top 10/bottom 10 location ranking, company average andsite-to-site comparisons. In particular, reference to FIG. 32A shows anEUI report for the total company in bar graph form. Both current andprior reporting periods are shown. FIG. 32B shows a tabular report inwhich the square footage, current and prior EUI values, and percentagechange are shown for each site.

Referring to FIGS. 33 and 34A-34B, a screen 164 is provided andconstitutes a EUI report comprising an average of all sites for eachmonth of the reporting period. In particular, and with reference to FIG.34A, a bar graph presentation of the average of all sites is indicatedfor each reporting month. FIG. 34B shows in tabular form, EUI values forthe current and prior reporting periods along with percentage changestherebetween.

Referring to FIG. 35 and 36A-36D, a screen 166 is presented andconstitutes a EUI report which enables a site-to-site comparison to bemade between two particular sites. FIG. 36A shows a site-to-sitecomparison between two sites, the Detroit Luxury Suites and the DenverMountain Suites. FIGS. 36A-36B show a month-to-month, bar-graph typecomparison of each site's EUI value. FIGS. 36C-36D respectivelydescribe, in tabular form, the EUI values for each site, i.e., theDetroit Luxury Suites (FIG. 36C) and the Denver Mountain Suites (FIG.36D). In addition, this report enables the percentage change betweenreporting periods to be ascertained between the current and priorreporting periods.

Provision can also be made for a report which will present a rolling EUIaverage for a prior time period, e.g. the prior 12-month period. Reportsof this type can identify gradual changes in the EUI by establishing a12-month EUI ending on a given month, and then comparing that with the12-month EUI ending on the prior month, and previous prior months. Bytesting against a customer-defined tolerance parameter, a customer candetect a trending change in resource usage which can be used to identifyoperational issues in a facility or site which impact resource cost.

EUI/ECI Analysis

Referring to FIG. 37 and 38A-38B, a screen 168 is provided andconstitutes a graphical representation of energy and cost performance inthe form of a scatter plot graph. Such allows both the energy use index(EUI) and energy cost index (ECI) to be portrayed in a single graph.Importantly, such conveys both the energy use and cost performancecharacteristics of facilities or sites since the various fuel types varyin terms of conversion efficiency and cost. Although energy efficiencyis an important issue for energy managers, it is cost efficiency thatis, in most instances, the real issue. This scatter plot portrays boththe EUI and the ECI and allows an energy manager to review theperformance of all sites. Best and worst performers are easilyidentified through a matrix analysis. For sites with a high ECI and lowEUI, focus on commodity management/rate schedule analysis (utilitynegotiations) can be had. For sites with a low ECI, and a high EUI, aninvestigation and implementation strategy for energy efficiency measures(demand side management) can be had. A so-called drill down capabilityprovides detailed information about the particular site. FIG. 38A showsa scatter graph wherein ECI and EUI are presented in graphical form.Such graphical representation constitutes a matrix by which the customerand/or facility manager can identify relevant sites which are, or fallwithin pertinent parts of the graph, e.g., high ECI, low EUI, and/or lowECI, high EUI. FIG. 38B shows in tabular form, information presented inFIG. 38A for each site.

EUI Frequency Overview Report

Referring to FIGS. 39 and 40A-40B, a screen 170 is provided andconstitutes a EUI Frequency overview report. The EUI Frequency overviewis a report which uses a frequency distribution graph of site energy useindices (EUIs). Through this report, a site can be designated to beincluded in the report by selecting geographic area and/or climate zoneand activity type from the report option. The EUI frequency overviewgraph assigns sites to the appropriate EUI ranges and shows how manysites fall within a given range. Provided is a so-called drill downoption to compare individual site EUIs to similar building types in asimilar climate zone based on the 1992 United States Department ofEnergy Commercial Building database used to develop the DOE publicationDOE/EIA-0318(92). Only sites that have been assigned specific climatezones from within the site setup will show up in their respectiveregions.

For example, reference to FIG. 40A shows that an EUI frequency overviewreport for lodging facilities is set forth. Sites which fall in betweenparticular ranges can be specifically viewed by clicking on the relevantgraph portion. In particular, FIG. 40B shows that five sites fall withinEUI ranges of between 38-55. These sites include the Austin ChiliSuites, Cincinnati Stadium Suites, Memphis Country Suites, Raleigh MatchPlace Suites, and Sacramento Vineyard Suites. The above comprises butone predefined grouping variable which can be utilized to group sites.Other grouping variables can be used as well.

Referring to FIGS. 41 and 42A-42B, a screen 172 is provided andconstitutes an energy performance site detail report. Prior to FIGS. 42Aand 42B, the Energy Performance Site Detail report ranks locations bytheir energy index number according to their assigned climate zones.There are a total of five different climate zones in the United States,as mentioned above. Customer sites are preferably assigned a climatezone as part of the database set-up process. FIGS. 42A and 42B show fiveclimate zones, e.g., zone 1-5, and within each zone a national averageand a zone company average. Sites within a zone can be benchmarkedagainst a national zone average for a particular building type.Individual sites within a zone can also be compared against the zonecompany average. In addition, the customer can view the ranking for eachlocation within a zone. The report is broken into four quadrants whichshow, typically, the low-to-high index number for a particular zone, fora particular building activity. In the illustrated example, the EUInumbers are for the lodging industry. EUI numbers for other industriessuch as the food service industry would have different EUI rankings. Theranking of energy index numbers by climate zones allows customers toidentify their high use facilities adjusting for weather conditions.

24-Month Trend Report

Referring to FIGS. 43 and 44A-44B, a screen 174 is provided andconstitutes a report which allows a 24-month comparison of resourcecosts and/or resource consumption for a specific site. In theillustrated example, less than a 24-month timeline is shown because ofspacing constraints. The 24-month comparison (or illustrated portionthereof) is demonstrated in the context of electric cost andconsumption. Reference to FIG. 44A shows a comparison of the electriccost for the Indianapolis Brickyard Suites site. Such report is usefulfor the purpose of identifying particular months in which resource costsare high. FIG. 44B shows a comparison of electric consumption of theIndianapolis Brickyard Suite in kilowatt hours. Other timeline trendreports can be used.

Production Unit Report

Referring to FIGS. 45 and 46A-46B, a screen 176 is provided andconstitutes a Production Unit Report. The Production Unit Report allowsenergy managers to track all resource costs against fixed productionunits. This report ranks year-to-date fixed daily production unit costsfor each facility or site. The report can be, and preferably is colorcoded to show sites with 10% reduction or better, 5-9% reduction, 1-4%reduction, and zero or less reduction. Production unit tracking isdesirable when there is a direct correlation between production andresource costs. Only sites that have been assigned fixed productionunits from within the above-described site setup feature will show up onthe production report. Specifically, and with reference to FIG. 46A,each site is shown with a ranking of year-to-date production unit costs.Prior year-to-date production unit costs as well as the variance betweencurrent and prior year-to-date production unit costs are shown. FIG. 46Bshows a legend which describes the percentage of reduction of productionunit costs.

Load Profiling or Real Time Meter Reading

Referring to FIG. 47, a block diagram illustrating autility-resource-consumption-based tracking system is set forthgenerally at 178. In accordance with a preferred implementation, aplurality of customers 180, 182 and 184 have a plurality of respectivesites 180a, 180b, 180N, 182a, 182b, 182N, and 184a, 184b, 184N. Eachsite comprises a facility site which is a consumer of a utility resourcefor which it is desired to track and account. Each site will typicallyhave a metering device which measures the amount or quantity of aparticular resource being consumed by that site. Accordingly, eachmetering device measures utility resource usage information for itsparticular site. Exemplary quantities include kilowatts, kilovars ortherms to name a few. Typical metering devices commonly convert measuredvalues into pulses. For example, an electric meter for measuringelectrical power consumption may be fitted with a device to produce acontact closure or pulse for every kilowatt of electricity used. Datalogging devices, such as devices D₁ -D₉, can be coupled with orintegrated with each facility metering device and record the pulses orcontacts and store them in a memory location. An exemplary data loggingdevice is a GE Type DR87 or Schlumberger DS101. An exemplary meteringdevice having an integrated recorder is a Vectron, manufactured bySchlumberger. Pulses can be collected in intervals of 5, 15, 30 or 60minutes. Other intervals can be used. Accordingly, data which isassociated with utility usage information measured by the meteringdevice(s) is stored. A host computer 20, such as the one describedabove, is provided and is preferably linkable, via electronic link, witheach data logging device. Data which is stored in the data loggingdevices is preferably retrieved into the host computer where it issubsequently processed for each facility site. The processing of theretrieved data provides usage-based, computer-viewable data associatedwith each facility site's usage of a particular utility resource. Theretrieval process can be effectuated in any number of ways which aresuitable for providing the host computer with the data necessary for itsprocessing. For example, software retrieval programs can interrogate thedata logging devices. An exemplary retrieval program is the MV90 whichis available through a company called Utility Translation Systems, Inc.,located in Raleigh, N.C. Data included in the retrieval process caninclude the time, interval value, channel identifier, and the number ofintervals per hour. A comma delimited flat file can be used to transferdata. Alternately, third party computers or processors can comprise partof the host computer's data link with the data logging devices such thatthe third party computers or processors can collect or retrieve data andthen pass it along to the host computer. For example, one computer orprocessor might collect data from devices D₁ -D₄, while another mightcollect data from devices D₅ -D₉. Subsequently, the data collected byeach such third party computer or processor could be passed to the hostcomputer for subsequent processing.

In but one aspect of the invention, data which is utilized in theimplementation of the load profiling aspect of the present invention iscollected from third party data logging devices utilizing third partysoftware retrieval programs. An advantage of this aspect is that datafrom different third party devices can be collected and processed fordisplay to the customer in a standard, unified format. In someinstances, collected data can be output to a flat file and subsequentlytransferred electronically, as by use of the Internet, to the hostsystem for processing as described above and below.

Computer access to the usage-based, computer-viewable data can beprovided to each customer through interface device 30 (FIG. 1)substantially as described above. Thus, a customer can access and viewsuch data from a computer location which is remote from the hostcomputer. Any of the above-described report formats can be utilized. Forexample, a customer can view a graphical report which describes anindividual site, a site-to-site comparison, and/or a data rangedescription. Other formats can, of course, be utilized.

Referring to FIG. 48, an exemplary screen 186 is shown and describes areport for Austin Chili Suites which was developed by processing dataretrieved from the above-described data logging devices. The illustratedreport shows a so-called load profile for each day during the week ofOct. 8, 1997. Individual load profiles for each day give an indicationof energy consumption throughout the day.

Referring to FIG. 49, an exemplary screen 188 is shown and describes areport for Austin Chili Suites which shows a load profile for a weekstarting Nov. 11, 1997. The selected report indicates that "NoAggregation" has been selected. "Aggregation" allows load profiles for aparticular time period to be added together. Such is discussed in moredetail below. Additionally, this report screen enables a customer todisplay data for one or more sites, with the latter options beingdisplayed in a site-to-site comparison, if desired. If a customerdesires a more detailed view of the data, the customer can click on thegraph and display data on a daily basis. An exemplary screen for suchindividualized data display is shown in FIG. 50 generally at 190. Suchshows a daily load profile for Nov. 14, 1997.

The above reports assist the customer in identifying the time, e.g.hours of the day, throughout the relevant time period during whichresource consumption takes place, and the amount thereof. Customers can,for example, utilize the above reports to confirm operation of HVACsystems, outdoor lighting controls, after-hour lighting consumptionassociated with janitorial services, and the like. The sensitivity ofthe system is advantageous because small load usages can be detectedand, if necessary, be formatted into a suitable report for customerviewing in close to, if not real time. Load profile reports, such as theones enabled by the present invention, are extremely useful foridentifying and enabling the reduction of, or, the shifting of peakdemand, as well as reducing consumption (i.e. giving an indication thatconsumption needs to be reduced thereby effectuating remedial customermeasures). The timeliness of the provision of the computer-viewable datato the customer greatly assists the customer in making time-saving loadprofile evaluations for not only one, but for each customer site whichis incorporated into the system.

Referring to FIGS. 51, 52A-52B an exemplary screen 192 is shown anddescribes an aggregated load profile which has been aggregated for thesubject time interval. This report gives the customer the addedflexibility to uniquely tailor the aggregation report to suit thecustomer's needs. For example, a customer can select, for aggregation, adate or date range, how aggregation is to be made (i.e., "TotalCompany", "Region", "State", or by "Utility" or Utility ResourceProvider) as shown in FIG. 52A. A plurality of different regions, suchas the illustrated "Southwest" region can be selected. Regions can alsobe thought of as climate zones, business operations areas, and the like.In addition, a customer can select to include or exclude one or moresites from aggregation. In addition to the load profile aggregation, atabular summary (FIG. 52B) can be provided to give the customer hardnumbers describing the particular aggregated period. For example, asummary describes an average, peak, and low demand figure for each daywithin the period. The summary also identifies load factor and the totalkilowatt hours for the particular period. Such quantities areparticularly useful in assisting the customer in quantifying andidentifying the characteristics of their loads, and providing invaluableinformation to energy suppliers, i.e. utility resource providers, thatserve the customers in a deregulated environment. A customer can also,through a drill-down option, click on a particular day and see thatday's aggregated profile 194 as shown in FIG. 53.

Report Download

Referring to FIG. 54, a screen 196 is provided and enables a customer atits remote location to download, in an ASCI fixed column flat file, anyof the above described reports. By enabling a customer to download suchinformation, an analysis can be effectuated by the customer at its ownlocation and during its own allotted time. Other schemes of providinginformation contained in any of the reports can, of course, be utilized.

SUMMARY

The above-described systems and methodologies provide a comprehensivedecision-making tool which gives customers of resources, and inparticular utility resources, the necessary and requisite information tomake decisions concerning resource allocation, acquisition, and use. Thesystems and methodologies make pertinent information available in aquick and convenient manner. The preferred revolutionary utilityresource management systems and methods ensure that the relevantdecision makers and analytical personnel have information at theirdisposal which greatly facilitates the ease, timeliness and accuracywith which energy-based decisions can be made.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described inlanguage more or less specific as to structural and methodical features.It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited tothe specific features shown and described, since the means hereindisclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect.The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms ormodifications within the proper scope of the appended claimsappropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine ofequivalents.

We claim:
 1. A resource accounting method comprising:defining a databasehaving information regarding a customer and resources that the customerconsumes; establishing in the database predetermined toleranceparameters which relate to the resources the customer consumes;receiving into the database resource utilization information concerningthe resources currently being consumed by the customer; auditing theresource utilization information against the predetermined toleranceparameters to determine whether the resource utilization informationsatisfies the predetermined tolerance parameters; and processing theaudited resource utilization information to provide remotely accessibledata representative of the customers consumption of the resources.
 2. Aresource accounting method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the databaseis defined in a host computer having a processor and an interfacedevice.
 3. A resource accounting method as claimed in claim 2, whereinthe step of processing the audited information further comprisesproviding the remotely accessible data in a format which permits thecustomer to view the data by computer at a location which is remote fromthe host computer.
 4. A resource accounting method as claimed in claim3, wherein the step of establishing predetermined tolerance parametersin the database comprise:storing historical billing data for thecustomer concerning at least one of their business locations; andprocessing the historical billing data to define the tolerance parameterfor the at least one business location.
 5. A resource accounting methodas claimed in claim 3, wherein after the step of auditing the resourceutilization information, and before processing the audited resourceutilization information, the method further comprises:implementing areview of the audited resource utilization information which does notsatisfy the at least one tolerance parameter to ascertain if an errorexists.
 6. A resource accounting method as claimed in claim 5, whereinthe customer has a plurality of business locations, and wherein the stepof storing historical billing data further comprises storing historicalbilling data for each of the customers business locations and furtherdefining a plurality of tolerance parameters for each business location.7. A resource accounting method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the stepof receiving into the database resource utilization information furthercomprises receiving resource utilization information from a plurality ofdifferent utility resources consumed by each business location of thecustomer.